This invention relates to an apparatus for loading and carrying a small vehicle in a truck bed, and more particularly to such an apparatus providing usable storage space in the truck bed while carrying the vehicle.
Persons wishing to transport a small vehicle, such as a snowmobile, a motorcycle, an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), or a lawn tractor in the bed of a truck are faced with two problems: how to safely load and unload the vehicle into the truck bed; and how to transport any ramps, etc., used to load the vehicle, and/or any other cargo with the truck bed occupied by the vehicle.
My invention addresses the first of these problems by providing a carrier/lift adapted to be mounted in a truck bed, and having a vehicle carrying platform that pivots and translates in a constrained manner along a pair of tracks to an inclined loading position for safe and convenient loading of the vehicle into the bed of a truck. My invention addresses the second problem defined above by utilizing a platform having a recess for stowage of a pair of nestable loading ramps. The platform can be supported above the floor of the truck bed to provide usable storage space in the bed of the truck between the platform, with the ramps stowed therein, and the floor of the bed.
In one form of my invention, a carrier/lift for loading and carrying a small vehicle in the bed of a truck includes a pair of longitudinal tracks adapted for mounting one track adjacent each side of the bed of a truck. A transverse beam is adapted at the ends thereof to engage the longitudinal tracks for translating movement of the transverse beam along the tracks. A platform is mounted on the transverse beam for pivoting movement between a carrying position, in which the platform extends generally parallel to the longitudinal tracks, and a loading position in which the platform is inclined with respect to the longitudinal tracks. The pivoting movement of the platform on the transverse beam, in combination with the translating movement of the transverse beam along the longitudinal tracks, provide a pivoting and translating motion of the platform that facilitates loading and carrying the small vehicle in the bed of a truck.
In some forms of my invention, the carrier/lift also includes a frame adapted for supporting the longitudinal tracks above the bed of a truck.
In another form of my invention, the transverse beam of the carrier/lift includes a roller at each end thereof adapted to engage one of the pair of longitudinal tracks, and each of the tracks is adapted to receive the roller and constrain the roller for translating rolling movement of the roller along the track. The transverse beam may include two rollers at each end thereof for engaging one of the pair of longitudinal tracks, one of the two rollers at each end being mounted to the transverse beam forward of the first pivot axis and the other roller being mounted to the transverse beam aft of the first pivot axis.
The frame of the carrier/lift may include left and right rail assemblies, each including one of the pair of longitudinal tracks and a front and rear leg extending downward from the longitudinal track, the legs being adapted to support the longitudinal track above the floor of the bed of a truck. A front support assembly is adapted for joining the left and right rail assemblies at a forward end thereof, and a rear spacer bar is adapted for joining the left and right rail assemblies at a aft end thereof. The tracks may have a generally C-shaped cross section configured to receive and constrain the rollers on the end of the transverse beam. The tracks may open at an aft end thereof for receipt of the rollers, and the rear spacer bar may be adapted for attachment to the left and right rail assemblies after installation of the rollers into the tracks, and at a position along the left and right rails for limiting aftward translation of the transverse beam.
The carrier/lift may include a left and right swing arm for guiding movement of the platform between the loading and carrying positions, and for partially supporting the platform while guiding the movement thereof. The left swing arm may be pivotally attached at one end thereof to the left rear leg of the frame at a lower end of the left rear leg, and pivotally attached at the other end thereof to the platform at a point aft of the first pivot axis. The right swing arm may be pivotally attached at one end thereof to the right rear leg of the frame at a lower end of the right rear leg, and pivotally attached at the other end thereof to the platform at a point aft of the first pivot axis.
The transverse beam may include a right and left transverse beam pivot point defining a first pivot axis. The platform may include a right and left platform pivot point defining a second pivot axis. The carrier lift may include a pair of links for attaching the platform to the transverse beam, one link having a first end pivotally attached to the left transverse beam pivot point, to pivot about the first pivot axis, and a second end pivotally attached to the left platform pivot point, to pivot about the second pivot axis. The second link may have a first end pivotally attached to the right transverse beam of pivot point, to pivot about the first pivot axis, and a second end pivotally attached to the right platform pivot point to pivot about the second pivot axis. Smoother motion of the platform, between the carrying and loading positions, is achieved through articulation of the pair of links about the first and second pivot axes.
The platform may include at a forward end thereof, a deck support adapted to engage the front support assembly of the frame when the platform is in the carrying position for partially supporting the forward end of the platform. The platform may further include at an aft end thereof, a rear handle and ramp support, adapted to allow a user to grip the handle for moving the platform between the carrying and loading positions, and further adapted to receive and retain a upper end of a loading ramp.
The carrier/lift may include a loading ramp attachable in a first position to the platform for loading a small vehicle onto the platform, and attachable to the platform in a second position for stowage in a manner providing cargo space between the platform with the stowed ramps and the floor of the bed of a truck. In another form of my invention, an apparatus for carrying a small vehicle in the bed of a truck includes a platform, and a pair of nestable loading ramps, with the platform having a centrally located recess therein for receipt and storage of the nested loading ramps. The apparatus may further include a frame adapted for supporting the platform above the floor of the bed of the truck, to thereby provide storage space beneath the platform and stowed ramps. The platform and ramps may be configured such that, when the apparatus is utilized in a truck having a tailgate, the tailgate can be closed with the apparatus installed in the bed of the truck and the ramps stowed in the recess of the platform, to thereby provide an enclosed space for storage within the bed of the truck beneath the platform and stowed ramps. The platform and ramps may be configured such that when the apparatus is installed in the bed of the truck, the ramps can be secured to the platform. Each of the ramps may include longitudinally extending ribs joined on an upper surface thereof by threads, the ramps being nestable by inverting one ramps and placing the other ramp on top of the inverted ramp with the longitudinally extended ribs of the two ramps offset from one another. The ramps may be identical, with the treads having a tread width, and the longitudinal ribs having a rib width, and the nested pair having a total width equal to the tread width plus one rib width.
The platform may include a left and right deck plank joined on the underside thereof by crossbeams, with the left and right deck planks spaced apart by a gap of approximately the width of the nested ramps, with the crossbeams and gap forming the recess for receiving the nested ramps. Each ramp may be configured in a ladder-like fashion, having three longitudinal ribs, with one rib extending along each side of the ramps, and one rib extending along a longitudinal center line of the ramps. The ramps may include a hook at an upper end of the ramps for attaching the ramps to the platform, and a plurality of treads attached to the longitudinal ribs and spaced apart from one another.
These and other features, forms, and advantages of my invention will be apparent upon review of the following detailed description and attached drawing figures.